Whereas most of the film partakes in a dreamy, fluttering use of brush-strokes and watercolor for its impressionistic animation, it quickly turns rough and jagged when Kaguya fantasizes escaping the mounting aggressions from her newfound noble life. Quivering charcoal lines and imperfections emphasize her struggle and despair, and stark, coarse streaks break free of the traditional rules for Japanese animation. Director Isao Takahata states that his use of animation techniques for the film aspired to “instantaneously capture the expression” of the characters and aimed to have “the audience vividly imagine or recall the reality deep within the drawings”.